With a 14-1 majority, Dallas City Council members voted to reduce or abolish parking minimums across multiple development types on Wednesday, finally putting parking reform to bed after staff began the effort almost six years ago.
Only Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) voted against the ordinance, even though others had concerns about the potential impact of a decrease in parking across Dallas.
For years, the city’s development code had required developers to build a minimum number of off-street parking spaces based on project use and square footage. It was basically a ratio system that critics claim was outdated in the age of Uber and Lyft and failed to take into account proximity to public transportation.
Other cities — such as Austin, Birmingham, Sacramento, Seattle, and Minneapolis, among others — have eliminated or reduced parking minimums…